Guard for water-gages.



No. 657,329. Patented Sept.'4, 1900p w. H. BROOKS & H. c. FISCHER.

GUARD FOR WATER GAGES.

(Application filed May 28, 1900.)

(No Model.) TI :33:- -''FIBIDI- WITNESSES: mvrurohs A ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. BROOKS AND HERMAN O. FISCHER, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

GUARD FOR WATER-GAG ES.

SPEGIFICATIdN forming part of Letters Patent Iil'o. 657,329, dated September 4, 1900.

Application filed May 23, 1900.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that We, WILLIAM H. BROOKS and HERMAN O. FISCHER, residents of Cleveland, in the county of Ouyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Guards for Water-Gages; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains tomake and use the same.

Our invention relates to improvements in I guards for water-gages that are employed in connection with and indicatethe depth of water in a steam-boiler; and the invention relates more especially to a water-gage suitable for use upon locomotives.

The object of this invention is to provide a gage of the character indicated that is so safe and reliable in its operation that there is no liability of the engineer and fireman having charge of the locomotive upon which the gage is used being injured by any flying pieces of glass or scalded' by escaping steam or hot water upon a breakage of the glass of the gage. Breakage of the glass ofa gage of the character indicated is liable to occur at any moment and does occur not infrequently. The breakage may be the result of wear upon the glass, defects in the glass, excess of unequal pressure of steam within the glass, cold water lodgingupon the hot glass externally, and pieces of coal or objects accidentally striking the glass. The importance, therefore, of a guard for the purpose indicated that will reliably protect the engineer and fireman from injury resulting as aforesaid is obvious.

To the end of attainingjithe object hereinbefore indicated our invention consists inv certain features of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims,

In the accompanying drawings, Figure I is a side elevation of a guard embodying our invention. Fig. 11 is a transverse section on either line 11 II, Fig. I. Fig. III is a side elevation largely in central vertical section on line III III, Fig. II.

Referring to the drawings, a designates the glass tube or glass of a Water-gage suitable for use on locomotives, which glass is pro- Serial No. 17,737. (No model.)

from top to bottom of the gage and preferably a short distance above and below the gage. The said case is open at its upper and lower ends and is larger in end elevation or transverse section than the gage, so as to form an annular space within the. guard around'the gage, which space accommodates the escape of the hot water and steam from thelower end and upper end, respectively, of

the guard when the glass of the gage becomes broken, as hereinbefore indicated. The said case consists, preferably, of two halves or sections e and e, embracing opposite'sides, respectively, of the gage and hinged together vertically and longitudinally of the gage at one. side of the gage, so asto renderthe said sections 6 capable of being swung upon their said hinge connection from and toward each other. Each of the sectionse is provided internally with a jaw or jaws '9 arranged to snugly engage the gage externally in the closed position of the said sections 6. Each section eis preferably provided with two jaws 6*, arranged adjacent to the upper head and lower head, respectively, of thegage and adapted to close against the adjacent gage-head in the closed position of the sections a. Each jaw e of each guard-section e is arranged, preferably, opposite to a jaw e of the cooperating guard section. The hinge connection between the sections 9 is composed, preferably, ofone or more suitably-applied spring-hinges e, whose springs 6 act to retain the said sections in their closed position; Obviously, therefore, the gage has its heads b andc clutched by and between the jaws e of the sections 6, and the spring or springs c act to maintain the said jaws in their operative position, and hence act to retain or hold the guard upon the gage. Each jaw e of each guard-section econsists, preferably, of a strip or piece of corrugated sheet metal arranged 2 saws with its corrug tionsextending longitudinally of the guard or up and down and issol dered or otherwise secured to the said guardsection. The corrugated jaw illustrated possesses sufficient tension or springiness to facilitate its operation.

The free side edge of one of the section's -e' is provided with a groove or corrugation 6 extending longitudinally of and from top-to bottom of the said section, andthe' arrangement of parts is such that the free side edge of the cooperating guardsection shall-engage the said groove or corrugation in the closed position of the guard-sections,and thereby cause the guard-sections to laterally brace each other.

Each section 6 is provided, of course, with awindow or sight-glass f, through which the glass of the gage is visible, and the metallic with a slot 6 that extends longitudinally of thesaid section 6, and the said sight-glass f is composed, preferably, of a piece of plateglass about one-fourth of an inch inthickness and arranged so as to close the aforesaid slot and held in position by and between slideway-forming strips or bars h, that are rigid with the body portion of thesaid guardsection, arranged vertically and parallel and the distance apart required to accommodate the reception of the sight-glassbetween them, and the said guide-forming bars or strips somewhat overlap the outer side of the sightglass,and thereby prevent lateral and outward displacement of the said glass.

A seat or stop forming shoulder a is formed upon and externally of each guard-section e at and between the lower ends of the strips or bars h of the said section, and the sightglass f of each section e is introduced by placing it in line with the upper end of the space between the slideway-forming members h of the said section and thereupon sliding iti-nto' place between the said members h. Thesaid sight-glass f is therefore removable, and the removability of the sight-glasses of the shieldsection is obviously desirable to render them capable of being readily cleaned and maintained in a clean and operative condition.

We would herere-mark that our improved guard has been in use for some time, and the breakage of the glass of the gage under a pressure of one hundredrand seventy-five.

pouind's failed to injure the guard in any manner, and the steam and hot water escaped at the upper endand lower end, respectively, of

the gage Without resulting in any injury to" t the operativespresent.

What we claim isv 1. A water-gage guard comprising a. case composed of two sections arranged to embrace:

opposite sides, respectively, of the gage and hinged together by suitably-applied spring,

hinges, andeach of the said. sections being?- provided with a window or sight-glass through which the glass of the gage is visible, and

oneof the said sections, at its free side edge, being provided with a groove extending longitudinally of the said section and engaged by the free side edge of the companion section in the closed position of the said sections.

h 2. A water-gage guardcotnprising acase composedof two sections arranged to embrace opposite sides, respectively, of the gage, and

,having the dimensions required to render them capable, when they are closed together, 1 of surrounding the gage and forming a space 5 between the exterior of the gage and the internal'surface of the said sections, jawsformed internally of thesaid sections and arranged to snugly engage the gage in the closed or operative position of the said sections,and means acting to close the said sections together'and ,thereby cause the, aforesaid jaws to hold the guard to the gage. body portion of the said section 6 is provided I 3;, A water-gage guard comprising a case composed oftwo'sectionsarranged to embrace opposite sides, respectively, of the gage and having the dimensions required to render them capable, when they are closed together, of surrounding the gage and forming an annular chamber or space between the exterior of the gage-and the internal surface of the saidsections, suitably-applied spring-hinges forming a hinge connection between the said sections, and the jaws formed internally of the said sections and arranged tosnuglyengage the gage inthe closed or operative posi tionof the said sections and, in conjunction with the springs of the-aforesaid hinges, hold ing the guard to the gage.

4. A water-gage guard comprising a case composed of two sections arranged to embrace opposite sides,respecti-vely, of the gage, means acting to close the said sections together,a pair of jaws arranged to engage the upper head of the gage in the operativeposition of the said sections andv formed internally of and upon the different sections, respectively, and another pair of jaws arranged to engage the: lower head of the gage in the operative position of the said sections and formed internally of and upon the difierent sections, respectively,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5-; A water gage guard comprising ,a case composed of a plurality of sections. arranged up and down. the gage and together surround ing the gage, means acting to'close the said sections together, and jaws formed internally of the sections and arranged tosn'uglyengage the gage in, the closed or operative position of thesaidisections, andmeans; acting to close t z the aforesaid sections together, and, in conjunction with the aforesaid jaws, hold the guardto the gage.

I 6. A water-gage guard comprising acase composed of two" sections arranged toembrace opposite"- sides, respectively, of the gage, suitably-applied spring-hinges. form-ing ahinge connection between the said sections-, a pair of jaws arranged to engage the upper head of the gage in the operative position of the said sections and formed internally of and upon the different sections, respectively, and another pair of jaws arranged to engage the lower head of the gage and formed upon and internally of the diiferent sections, respectively, all arranged and operating substantially as shown, for the purpose specified Signed by us at Cleveiand, Ohio, this 8th day of May, 1900.

WILLIAM H. BROOKS. HERMAN C. FISCHER.

Witnesses:

O. H. DORER, A. H. PARRATT.- 

